Fibrous container with crimped metal end member



Oct. 23, 1956 R. J. BROWN FIBROUS CONTAINER WITH CRIMPED METAL END MEMBER Filed Nov l, 1952 IUHIIIIHWIH| A IIhnIlHIITIlIlIIHHHHIIIIIHHIH INVENToR.

fm ML W limited States Patent FIBROUS CONTAINER WITH CRIMPED METAL END MEMBER Robert J. Brown, Cicero, Ill., assignor to National Steel Container Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application November 1, 1952, Serial No. 318,196

3 Claims. (Cl. 229-5.6)

This invention relates to containers and has particular relation to containers of the type comprising a body member of fibrous material and a sheet metal end member.

Containers of this general description are known in the art, but heretofore have been subject to certain shortcomings, particularly as a result of insufficient strength and permanence in the joint or seam between the fibrous body member and the sheet metal end member.

The present invention has for its primary object the provision of a container of the above-indicated character having a joint or seam between the fibrous and metal members which is of improved strength, durability and permanence.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container of the above-indicated character which may be manufactured relatively inexpensively by the employment of efficient production methods.

A preferred embodiment of the invention, as described in detail hereinafter, comprises a container body member of laminated fibrous material in cylindrical form, joined at at least one end thereof with a sheet metal end member extending continuously across the opening at that end of the body member to constitute a closure or head for the container. v'l'he joint between the two members is of substantially S-shaped cross section in which a bead formed at the end of the body member and contiguous portions of that member are tightly clamped between peripheral portions of the end member conformed theret0.

The invention will be better understood, and other objects and advantages thereof will appear, from a con- Sideration of the detailed description appearing hereinafter, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of a container embodying the invention, showing a fragmentary end portion of the body member thereof and the associated sheet metal end member;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on a plane indicated by the line 2-2 in Figure l, and

Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary sectional views taken on a plane corresponding to that of Fig. 2 and on the same enlarged scale and illustrating certain intermediate stages in the formation of the structure illustrated in Fi .2.

leferring to the drawings, the illustrated container elements comprise a body member of fibrous material generally designated by the reference character 11 and a sheet metal end member generally designated by the reference character 12. The body member is of cylindrical or tubular form, being made, for example, by known methods of winding upon a mandrel or the like a suitable number of layers of paper having suitable adhesive applied thereto, so that the resulting structure consists of convolute laminations of paper bonded together by the adhesive. The sheet metal end member is suitably made of relatively soft steel or other material capable of being drawn and formed as necessary in the manufacturing opertions.

The body member 11, after being wound or otherwise produced in its laminated form and while still moist from the adhesive applied thereto, is provided with. a bead at one end thereof as by doubling over a short end portion 11a of the laminated cylinder inwardly upon itself. In

the formation of the bead in this manner, the outer 1aminations at the end of the body member progressively slip over the inner ones so that the inner end of the bead assumes a tapered or beveled form, as best shown in Fig. 3.

In the completed structure, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the terminal bead on the end of the body member 11 is encased and tightly clamped betweenv folds of the metal end member 12, and the joint is further reinforced by a peripheral indentation of the fibrous body member and the overlying portion or flange of the metal end member. This indentation produces an outwardly opening peripheral groove in the side wall of the container, defined by a terminal portion 12a of the member 12 and a reversely bent crimping portion 12b thereof. The latter portion merges through a relatively sharp bend 12C, preferably having an angle on the order of about 84, with a straight wall portion 12d preferably having its outer surface substantially in alignment with that of the main portion of the body member 11.

At the outer extremity of the metal portion 12d the same merges through another relatively sharp bend 12e into an inwardly extending crimping portion 12f, which, in turn, merges through a bend 12g into a substantially arcuate portion 12h. A substantially flat portion 121' extends back outwardly from the inner end of the arcuate portion 12h and merges into a reverse-bent portion 12j, which, in turn, merges into a more or less arcuate inwardly extending portion 12k.

The formations of the metal member 12 thus described result in the provision of a channel between more or less parallel portions vof said member as it is reversely'bent upon itself around its periphery, which channel is substantially S-shaped as viewed in cross section." The terminal portion of the fibrous body member 11, including the terminal bead thereon formed by the inward'folding of the portion 11a or otherwise, lies within this channel and is tightly clamped between the portions of the metal member 12 forming the same. It will be seen that the terminal bead of the body member is particularly tightly compressed 'and clamped between the portions 121, 12g, 12h and 121' of the metal member. The bend 12g, representing a peripheral indentation on the outer surface of that portion of the metal member enclosing the terminal bead on the body member, engages the said bead with great force and compresses and compacts the fibrous material of the end portion of the body member ly ing between the inside of the said indentation and the opposing portion 12i of the metal member.

A relatively narrow neck is formed between the said portions 12g and 121 which compresses and confines large masses of the fibrous material within the contour of the arcuate portion 12h of the metal member and also between the bends 12e and 12j. Strong compression is also secured between the portions 12d and 12j and between the portion 12b and the opposing portions 12]' and 12k. These large masses of fibrous material held under strong compression resist very strongly all forces tending to separate the fibrous body member 11 and the metal end member 12, with the result that an extremely strong joint or seam is provided between the two mem` bers, which will endure the shocks of dropping and other severe treatment to which containers are subjected in normal usage.

In the construction as illustrated n Fig. 2, the metai amember 12 extends inwardly from the portion 12k through alternately reversely `bent annular .corrugations 12m, 1211, 12p, 12g, 12r and 12s into a central portion 12t, constituting a continuous head for the container. These eorrugations serve .an important function `in lending resiliency to the head structure and enabling the peripheral 4joint between the members 11 yand 12 to withstandshockand deformation without pullingapart or loosening to the point of causing 4any fractures .or leaks in the container.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate steps in a process whereby the structure 4of Fig. 2 may beproduced. For convenience of identification of rthe respective portions of lthe `members 11 and .12, the parts thereof ,are identified `by the .same reference characters applied to the corresponding parts of the completed structure in Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 3, the end ofthe fibrous body member .ll with Vthe inwardly folded terminal bead portion 11a formed thereon .is :first inserted within an annular channel of U-shaped cross section which is initially formed Vat the periphery of the member 12. At this stage the portions of 'the member 12 which are eventually to be formed into the portions 12a to 12g, inclusive, lie in alignment with each other around the outer periphery of the metal blank and merge through the portion 12h into the portion 12i lying substantially parallel with the portions 12a to 12g.

The members 11 and 12 as thus assembled are formed together by dies, rollers, or other suitable means into the form illustrated in Fig. 4. In these operations `the portion 12j is expanded from the formation shown in Fig. 3 lto enclose the inside of the bead 411a at the end of the body member, and the members -11 and 12 are indented together from-the outside to form the outwardly opening groove defined by the portions 12a and 12b of the metal member. Following the completion of these operations, the terminal portion of the body 4member 11, including the bead 11a thereof, still lies in substantially its original relationship to the `main portion of the body member,.that is, in substantial ,alignment therewith.

In the final forming operation this terminal body portion, together with the metal portions 12j, 12g, 12h and 121 encasing the same, are forced 4upwardly (as viewed inthe drawings) and inwardly to produce the formation shown in Fig. .2, the bend 12e .and the .peripheral indentation 12g being ,formed in .this operation. The arcuate portions 12h and 12j are simultaneously compressed to shorter radii, and the fibrous material is tightly =compacted between the opposing metal portions, particularly adjacent Vthe indentation 12g.

The formation of the indentation 12g results in the bend 12e between the portions 12d and 12f being formed to a slightly acute angle corresponding more .or less .to the angularity of the bend 12C between the .portions 12b and 12d. The result of these angular relationships is that the portion 12b slopes slightly from `its outer p eriphery inwardly toward the ,end of the .container ,at which the joint is located, while the .portion ,12f slopes slightly from its outer periphery Ainwardly toward the opposite end of the container. The resultant converging and crimping relationship of Ythe crimping portions 12b and 12f produces an `exceptionally strong clamping action on the `fibrous body material enclosed thereby, and the angularity of the bends 12C and 12e assures a .high degree of permanence in the set of the metal to resist failure of the joint under all conditions-encountered in usage lof containers of this type.

It will be seen, therefore, that a highly advantageous construction has been provided by the present invention in regard to the joining together of a fibrous body member and a sheet metal end member in a container structure.

While only one specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of design and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit .and scope of the invention `as set forth in the appended claims. For example, the body member of the container may be of nonlaminated fibrous Imaterial or ma-y be laminated -by methods other than that referred to herein, and may be of circular or any other desired transverse section; the bead at the end of the body member may be formed in a variety of ways; and the sheet metal end member need not necessarily be a complete or continuous head member for the container, but may be in the nature of a reinforcing rim or chime only. Likewise, the formation of the joint between the fibrous and metal members may be accomplished by any suitable means and methods other than those referred to in the foregoing description, which are mentioned merely by way of example.

What is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent, therefore, is:

l. A container comprising a tubular body member of fibrous material and a sheet metal end member, the peripheral portion of said end member being formed to engage and tightly clamp opposite sides of said body member at and adjacent one end thereof, said peripheral portion of said end member having a cross-sectional configuration including a wall portion extending generally in alignment with the main portionof said body member, two crimping portions extending from said wall portion generally radially inwardly of said container and toward each other, said end member `extending from one of said two crimping portions rst axially outward and radially inward of the container, then axially inward of said container ,and then radially outward thereof between said two crimping portions and toward said wall portion and finally merging into a reverse bend forming a bead lying radially outward substantially beyond the radially inner ends of said two crimping portions.

2. A container comprising ,the elements of claim l in which said body member is formed with a thickened bead at the end thereof engaged and clamped by vsaid end member.

3. A container comprising the elements of claim l `in which .the portions of said end member lying radially inwardly of and closely adjacent said peripheral portion are corrugated concentrically with respect to said body member whereby said end member is radially tiexible adjacent Ythe joint between said end member and said body member.

References Cited in the file of this `patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,934,762 Eggerss Nov. 14, 1933 1,987,817 Burns Jan. 15, 1935 `2,122,907 Calva July 5, 1938 2,181,905 McCrery Dec. 5, 1939 2,188,497 Calva Jan. 30, 1940 2,208,744 Bergerioux Iulyl23, 1940 2,290,536 Chamberlain July 2l, 1942 2,334,041 Scott Nov. 9, 1943 

